


a fever you can't sweat out

by triviaeuphoria



Series: 30 days of svt [7]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: "wash ur hands!" - kim mingyu, 96z are best friends!!!, Alternate Universe - College/University, Couch Cuddles, Domestic Fluff, First Meetings, Getting Together, M/M, Sickfic, Soft Jeon Wonwoo, does this count as slow burn, he is so cute., it was agonizing to write, jun is tired of everyone's bullshit, side soonhoon, someone kiss him pls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27076420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triviaeuphoria/pseuds/triviaeuphoria
Summary: on a list of things that wonwoo never expected to happen to him, a giant wearing a medical mask with a pot of what smells like hot soup at his front door...is pretty low on the list.he’s also probably experiencing a fever dream. because he has one – a fever, that is. he’s been sneezing and coughing his lungs out for three days, with no end in sight. it’s finals season too, so he’s forbidden jun, soonyoung and jihoon from visiting. they don’t need to sacrifice their summers for makeup exams like him if they can avoid it. so he’s just wrapping himself up in blankets, steaming his face whenever he can and praying he can sweat the fever out.“‘ello,” he croaks out. and promptly blacks out.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: 30 days of svt [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947997
Comments: 17
Kudos: 247





	a fever you can't sweat out

**Author's Note:**

> let's pretend today is the 8th ok yes  
> or not bc COMEBACK TOMORROW AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 
> 
> but fr i have been. doing not so great and it obviously affected my writing but here this is i guess. i like these two. kudos and comments would be niceeeeeeee thank you<3
> 
>  **prompt:** You live above me and you’ve been coughing violently for three days straight at first it was really annoying but now I’m actually worried about you

on a list of things that wonwoo never expected to happen to him, a giant wearing a medical mask with a pot of what smells like hot soup at his front door...is pretty low on the list. 

he’s also probably experiencing a fever dream. because he has one – a fever, that is. he’s been sneezing and coughing his lungs out for three days, with no end in sight. it’s finals season too, so he’s forbidden jun, soonyoung and jihoon from visiting. they don’t need to sacrifice their summers for makeup exams like him if they can avoid it. so he’s just wrapping himself up in blankets, steaming his face whenever he can and praying he can sweat the fever out. 

“‘ello,” he croaks out. and promptly blacks out. 

—

when he comes to, he’s back under his blanket mountain on his couch. he doesn’t remember much. the smell of vegetables wakes him up properly. he sniffs harder. but...he didn’t.

and then he hears the singing. 

there’s a _man_ in his kitchen. “how—who—what—?”

“oh, wonwoo-ssi!” the man – who is frankly way too beautiful to exist, what the fuck he has purple silvery hair? what’s happening – grins at him. “hello! you don’t mind that i’m here, do you? i disinfected as much as i could with rubbing alcohol, please don’t touch anything. if you can get back to the couch, i’ll bring you the soup and some tea.”

“how did you get in?” wonwoo asks weakly. “who _are_ you?”

“oh, silly me. i’m kim mingyu, i live downstairs.” he walks forward, and stops exactly three feet away from wonwoo. “i couldn’t help but hear you coughing from our shared wall.”

“so you. made me soup.”

“it’s been three days.”

“my point stands.” 

wonwoo wishes his head wasn’t currently spinning. he needs to sit down. none of this explains how kim mingyu got into his house. he tries to find his words. “i. sorry, but how did you get in?”

“you opened the door. and then swooned like a princess.” 

“i did _not_.”

“you did. thankfully your 50 blankets broke your fall. i figured you’d be okay with someone cleaning up and feeding you.”

oh. some bits are coming back to wonwoo now. masked giant nurse. was real. hm. “i still didn’t give you permission to come in though,” he insists. the feverish part of him is begging him to go lie down.

mingyu cocks an eyebrow. “you _want_ me to take the soup back? i can.”

“no!” he sighs, frustrated. “fine. thank you.”

mingyu smiles at that. “you’re welcome. let me walk you back to the couch.”

despite many protests from wonwoo, mingyu does grab him by the shoulders ( _his fingers spill over wonwoo’s bony shoulders, what the fuck, that’s a weird thing to focus on_ ), and lead him the couch. 

five minutes later, wonwoo is slurping hot soup, and munching on soggy carrots. kim mingyu must be a witch, because wonwoo is already feeling so much better. he finishes his soup in record time, feeling full for the first time in days. “that was amazing,” he breathes. coughs a little. “hey, maybe i’ll end up taking my philosophy final tomorrow.” 

mingyu looks alarmed. “please don’t. just rest. while i actually study for my own human development final.” he gestures at his notes on the coffee table. 

wonwoo nods, mumbles an apology for being so difficult, which he isn’t even sure mingyu hears before drifting off again. 

—

his neighbor comes back the next day. and he has more cleaning supplies. what the fuck.

“your apartment's a mess,” is his explanation. he has pink rubber gloves on.

“i've been dick,” wonwoo says weakly. “dick. _di_ –for _fuckd_ dake.” 

his nose is blocked today. 

mingyu stifles a laugh. he holds up a paper bag with a receipt attached to it. the bottom is molding. “this has been here for two weeks.”

“don't shame be. _be_. ugh.” he sighs, giving up.

—

**what clouds the CATBOYS on 🤔 GET OUT‼️‼️**

**horangie**  
and that's why we threw out the edible lube! 

**moonjun** **  
** because there's no such thing 

**🍚** **  
** i rly wish you wouldn't tell our friends these things 😒

 **wonu** **  
** not to interrupt this fascinating conversation about soonyoung and jihoon's sex adventures but 

**horangie**  
WONUUUUU ARE U OK HOW ARE U FEELING TODAY  
I WOULD LOVE TO COME OVER BUT JIHOON WOULDNT LET ME IN THE SAME ROOM AS HIM OTHERWISE AND I HATE PHONE SEX 

**wonu** **  
** that's. fine.  
there's a man in my house  
everyone stop typing let me finish  
he's my neighbor??? he made me soup so i would  
“not cause me to fail my final because of my loud coughing”

 **moonjun** **  
** you do have a stupidly annoying cough 🤔

 **wonu** **  
** ouch okay. 

**moonjun**  
seems like a lot of effort just for being annoyed. is he cute 

🍚  
seems invasive. is he cute 

**horangie**  
is he cute 

wonwoo stares at the screen. he shouldn't have done this. his friends are useless on the best of days. 

he sneaks a peek at his house guest. is he cute? he's back in an apron, and his brow is furrowed as he works on getting rid of. smudge on the door frame of the kitchen that's been there since wonwoo moved in. his lower lip is jutted out as he concentrates. ugh. 

**wonu** **  
** unfortunately.  
goodnight

the buzzing of his phone doesn't stop for another five minutes. 

mingyu hums a tune loudly, something wonwoo recognizes but can't place. much of his brain power is being used to get oxygen to his lungs you see. but he still tries to figure out how he actually feels about this situation. it's very unconventional, especially for someone like him. his hot neighbor decides to take care of him because he's mad that his sickness is inconveniencing him. and then realizes that wonwoo is actually a hot mess and attempts to clean up for him too. what even. 

it's so fucking unfortunate that they had to meet under these circumstances. also that wonwoo had no idea he was living above _that_. 

not to objectify his very nice neighbor though. 

“what did you day your major was?” wonwoo asks, trying to make conversation. silence was getting awkward. he tries to ignore his nasally voice. 

“psychology. with counselling,” mingyu answers looking at him. “got the gum out,” he adds with a grin, rubbing the spot where the smudge used to be. a _witch_. “have a minor in digital art though.”

“oh, wow.” of course! wonwoo is tempted to send a keysmash to the group chat. maybe he will when mingyu turns away. 

“it's hard, but i like it. and i've always wanted to work with kids.”

“right. cool.” _god_. he can do better than that. when he's not attempting to keep his lungs inside his body, wonwoo is a man of many words, actually. just that one fact about mingyu has brought so many questions to his mind. he can converse like no other when given the opportunity. and now his body is literally failing him. he's coming across as panicked gay when he is _confident_ , damn it. 

mingyu doesn't mind the silence because he fills it up nicely with his little noises. normally this would annoy the hell out of wonwoo but he finds the background noise easy to just have there while he has his incoherent, disjointed thoughts about everything and nothing. he goes from narrating a paragraph from one of his textbooks in his head, to writing sonnets about mingyu's ass every time he catches a glimpse, before quickly turning away and trying to distract himself.

at some point (time means nothing anymore), mingyu comes over and sits on the opposite side of the couch and pores over his notes. he asks wonwoo if he can essentially 'teach' him because it helps him absorb knowledge better. 

“you don't actually have to listen to me,” mingyu assures him. “this is just so i retain everything. usually i ask seokmin to be my student.” 

_seokmin. who's that, haha, your boyfriend?_

“no, _ew_. seokmin is most definitely _not_ my boyfriend. that's hilarious.” mingyu laughs the most wonderful laugh, almost like a _bark_ and throws back his head ( _oh, neck_ ) and shows his teeth. 

wonwoo stares. did he say that out loud? 

mingyu shakes his head and murmurs, _ah, wonwoo-ssi_.

“you can just call me wonwoo,” he says. “or. how old are you?” 

“turned twenty-three in april.” 

wonwoo turns twenty-four in about two months. “hyung is fine.” 

he thinks mingyu pouts but his expression changes so quickly he could've imagined it. _please_ let him have imagined it. 

—

on the third day, mingyu brings over his weighted blanket early in the morning. “i figured it's better than you burying yourself under all of yours and contaminating _all_ of them. will be hell on your laundry bill, by the way.”

a weighted blanket is something wonwoo has always wanted but never bothered to invest in. which is weird because he loves sleeping even when he’s not forced to because of his groggy head. he loves the feeling of it, it’s a lot like having strong arms wrapped around him, like mingyu’s strong arms around him – no, wait. 

wait. no. _rewind_. think that thought again, please.

but it’s useless. now that wonwoo has thought it, his brain won’t stop fixating on mingyu’s arms as his self-appointed nurse goes around his flat, making himself at home. he didn't even bother to get _dressed_ today, still in pajama pants that are frankly rude because they're barely hanging off his hips and a grey t-shirt that he blames for the arm fixation. it's so. 

then wonwoo remembers something. 

“don't you have your final today?” 

mingyu pauses on sweeping and nods. “at like, noon. i don't like to cram at the last minute, so just putting my mind on something else.” 

wonwoo nods. that makes sense. he personally would be reading his textbook until it's pried away from his hands but. he gets it. 

after sweeping, and washing their dishes that he served breakfast in, mingyu leaves to get ready to go to campus presumably. wonwoo wishes him luck, and tries to sleep, but his mind is more awake and aware than it has been the whole week, thanks to mingyu. 

he sits up on his couch and stretches as much as he can, like a fucking cat or something and looks around. he can see the _floor_. there aren’t any tissues anywhere. 

wonwoo spends the afternoon doing very little. he puts on some music to play in the background as he usually did when he wasn’t a zombie. in the bathroom, he tries to get as much grime off himself as he can. other than the baggier-than-usual bags under his eyes, and his hair sticking up in random places, he’s starting to look more like himself again, so that’s good. he puts on a sweater and comfier pants than jeans but not quite pjs. he opens up his notes to see if he can get any studying done, but no go. he _is_ able to read some of the novel he’d picked up before finals began. he’s engrossed in it, doesn’t even notice the time when someone - mingyu - knocks on the door. 

“you--” mingyu stops in his tracks as soon as he enters. eyes wide, but he finds his voice in a second. “why do you look different?”

“washed my face,” wonwoo answers. points at his lack of glasses. “really makes that much of a difference, huh?”

mingyu grins. “does that mean you’re feeling better?”

wonwoo nods. “i mean, i’m still a little foggy, but i can speak like a human. sick. See?”

“not dick.” 

“nope.”

—

“your body still feels a little warm,” mingyu mutters, as he places his hand on wonwoo’s forehead. wonwoo knows he feels better because his body didn’t feel quite as warm before mingyu made his way into his personal space and touched him. “we should call your doctor.”

“no!” wonwoo says quickly, making mingyu step back. ew doctors. “i feel a lot better.”

“you do?” 

wonwoo nods, and flings the blanket off of himself. he tries to stand, which takes a few seconds because his legs have kind of fallen asleep from hours of sitting down at a time, but he manages okay besides that. “see?” he says, gesturing to his own wobbly form. “vertical. i have to report to my professors as soon as i feel better,” he adds. that part is true. 

after checking his temperature again, with a proper thermometer, and giving him the last of his medicine, mingyu suggests _very_ enthusiastically that they should watch this new kdrama he’s been loving recently and starts to connect his laptop to the tv so they have a bigger screen ‘for the full experience.’ 

wonwoo doesn't really know what to do except go along with it, but he _does_ send the group chat a bunch of exclamation points before looking at the screen made his temples throb in dull pain. he finishes a bottle of water in like three gulps.

they watch in silence except for slurping cup ramen that mingyu picked up from the store on his way back home. wonwoo likes it enough, but he’s mostly thinking about how mingyu seems to be sitting closer to him today. probably because he’s almost back to a normal temperature and not coughing and being gross. smells better. the hairs on his arms stand up whenever they brush against each other. mingyu cannot sit still at all - he’s like a shark, wonwoo thinks. but the almost touches are driving him _crazy_. 

“come here,” he says, reaching out and holding onto mingyu’s arm.

“wh--” mingyu jerks to the side and ungracefully falls onto wonwoo’s lap and looks up frowning. “why did you do that?”

“wouldn’t stop moving,” wonwoo answers. feels glad that his confidence is coming back. takes some pleasure in the fact that mingyu’s cheeks are pink as he clears his throat. but he doesn’t move away. doesn’t complain. it’s nice. maybe he likes wonwoo. maybe wonwoo likes _him_. 

mingyu falls asleep on wonwoo’s lap, snoring softly. it’s awfully devastating, and his legs are numb, but wonwoo can’t bring himself to get up or move him so he shifts a little to be more comfortable and pulls the weighted blanket over both their bodies and reads until he passes out himself.

—

mingyu doesn’t come back. it’s been two days, and sure, wonwoo doesn’t need a nurse anymore. he doesn’t need mingyu in the house cleaning up because he likes it and singing to himself like a disney princess, and he doesn’t need company when he’s making his own meals again. 

he misses mingyu though.

**soonhoon stop being disgusting challenge**

**wonu**  
but this is so weird why would he just take care of me and then LEAVE 

🍚  
wonwoo i know you were recently spending a lot of time sipping on cough syrup 

**wonu**  
what does have to do w anything. 

**horangie**  
what my baby is trying to say i think is  
have you considered going downstairs yourself

 **moonjun** **  
** jar.  
also i agree w them

 **horangie** **  
**????? jar????

 **moonjun** **  
** i am owed financial compensation every time you both fail to comply with the challenge that is in the gc name. jar. 

**wonu** **  
** it’s a matter of PRIDE  
and i have none i just want to cuddle again i’ll go  
ok bye dont virtually kill them junnie pls they’re my relationship advisors

🍚  
that’s the NICEST thing you’ve ever said to us TT 

wonwoo leaves his phone behind when he goes to mingyu’s apartment. he posits that if mingyu could hear him he lived directly below him. also the fact that there’s a door with a whiteboard sign that says _‘_ _mingyu will do laundry for free and for friendship - by yoon jeonghan and lee seokmin'_ hanging on it. so. 

he has notes of a speech prepared, which starts off with him expressing his anger at mingyu vanishing (exaggerated for dramatic effect) (being friends with a drama major does that to you), goes on to be a confession that he misses mingyu a lot and ends with an offer to make out on the couch, which his subconscious has been plaguing him with the visual of for like three days. 

wonwoo knocks once, twice, thrice. just wants to get this over with. is suddenly bursting with energy. 

the door opens and - mingyu. big hoodie. hood up. the reddest nose ever. sniffling _mess_. 

wonwoo is at a loss for words. “i.” 

“hi ‘onu hyung,” mingyu says feebly. he looks _miserable_ _._

“i’ll get my laptop,” wonwoo says quickly. “leave the door open and go back to bed. i wanted to climb on you and kiss you forever, but i guess that’ll have to wait. okay. let’s get it.” 

(wonwoo does climb on mingyu and kiss him _almost_ forever, it feels like. but a week later. until then though, mingyu insisted they hold hands and wash their hands so much they’ve become soft.)


End file.
